By Pastor Tim White It was like a moment from heaven.  We rented a cabin right across the river from where my grandparent's old trappers cabin once stood.  The sound of the roaring Wallowa River has always been therapeutic to my soul. When I was six months old I lived there with my parents as they prepared to start a church in the Tri-Cities called the Cathedral of Joy.  All my life is marked with those mountains.  The first fish I ever caught was right there in the Wallowa River… My 10th birthday, I still remember thinking I was getting so old… Jackie and I spent our honey moon there… Getting ready for football in the Fall and making long trail runs through the forest; dodging the trees while getting ready to be a scrambling quarterback.  Sleeping under the stars was always a highpoint in my spiritual journey to be a follower of Jesus Christ.  I could hear the voices in the river of my grandparents, my parents, my tiny children and now my grandchildren.  What kind of magic was this working in my soul as I would read the scriptures on the banks of the mighty Wallowa River? The Kokanee or land-locked salmon were bright red running up the river this year.  An added joy was to be there with Ben and Becca and their two little delightful children, Eva and Oscar.  I napped, we walked, Oscar and I even adventured up Hurricane Creek.  I visited with the new owners of Wallowa Back Country Adventures and talked about their horses.  We all laughed together.  Slowly and surely our souls moved significantly, almost miraculously, from Stressed to Blessed.

And that is what I am preaching on for the next two weeks. We will look at James Chapter One.  I wanted to do a whole expository series on James, but the first chapter of James will have to quench my thirst for now.  Two weeks on how God lifts us up - if we let him.  Won’t you join me this weekend?  The music will be especially wonderful.  Why not visit us, or try us again, or just make a good decision for your soul this first weekend of fall.

Your friend for the rest of my life,

Pastor Tim White